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Wholly Following Jesus

This morning I read about Joshua and Caleb wholly following the LORD (Numbers 32). Imagine men in particular from 20 to 50 wholly following the LORD! It’s almost too good to be true, and yet it’s entirely possible in our lifetime to see a real turn in men’s attention, a turn to the LORD JESUS. I know this sounds “super spiritual” to some, but is this really out of touch in any way? If you’re a follower of Jesus, isn’t this vision more in line with where our attitude should be than depressed descriptions of our generation as a wasteland?

All of us, men and women of all ages, have the opportunity to follow the LORD wholly. Complete surrender to our God and Savior results in far deeper joys than carving out some hybrid version of obedience and self-consumed greed. It’s impossible to serve two masters, self and God. It’s no wonder we fall into fear and discouragement when we do attempt this.

My heart breaks within me as I observe double lives, especially pronounced double lives. My heart breaks even more though when I see this in my own heart! Jesus wants my ALL-IN, not some air-brushed touch up attitude of partial commitment and self-seeking. When I am most alive is when I’m surrendered to God’s plans and ends in a given moment, day, week, month, year, or decade. My wife and I are seeking to follow the LORD wholly, and I’m seeking to take the lead in this. However, I’m broken when I see how inadequate my own example is apart from the Holy Spirit’s infilling and the body of Christ locking arms with my wife and me. Friends, God didn’t put us here to do following Jesus in a vacuum of isolation. For the most part, we are called to co-labor in the literal presence of other believers. Even if we’re called to co-labor where we are in isolation at times, we are to keep in mind that our siblings in Christ around our region are praying and laboring for the same end, to know and glorify the Redeemer of our souls.

My prayer is for men in particular from 20 to 50 to wholly follow the Redeemer and learn from Him, to bear the weight with joy of genuine love and humble sharing of the hope we have in Christ. It’s really as simple as that, brothers. May we co-labor in these before our Redeemer and come to know Him all the more in the process as well as our spouses, our children, and each other. May we be a band of brothers that stand to lead in these desperate times. May we not keep placing our hope in our children and hoping they will turn out better. May we fully surrender and place our hope in the God Who redeems! May we stand and lead and love with absolute commitment to the God in Whom is the deepest pleasure and satisfaction!